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                  <p class="p_Heading1"><span class="f_Heading1">Properties</span></p>



  
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                <p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">A </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">property</span><span class="f_BodyText"> is a nested structure within a classifier, which is usually a <a href="class.htm">Class</a> or an <a href="interface.htm">Interface</a> on a <a href="compositestructurediagram.htm">Composite Structure diagram</a>. The contained structure reflects instances and relationships reflected within the containing classifier. Properties can have multiplicity.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">To demonstrate properties, consider the following diagram, which demonstrates some properties of the </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Library</span><span class="f_BodyText"> Class.</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="composite%20diagram%20-%20structural%20properties.png" width="477" height="254" border="0" alt="Composite Diagram - Structural Properties"></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">There are two </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="part.htm">Parts</a></span><span class="f_BodyText">, </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">libBooks</span><span class="f_BodyText"> and </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">records</span><span class="f_BodyText">, which are instances corresponding to the Classes </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Books</span><span class="f_BodyText"> and </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">Computer</span><span class="f_BodyText"> respectively. After dragging Parts from the Enterprise Architect UML </span><span class="f_UIControl">Toolbox</span><span class="f_BodyText"> out to the workspace, right-click on a Part and select the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Advanced | Set Property Type</span><span class="f_BodyText"> menu option to connect to a classifier.</span></p>
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<td valign="bottom" width="955" bgcolor="#efeff7" style="width:955px; background-color:#efeff7;"><p class="p_TiporNote" style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none;"><span class="f_TiporNote">Note:</span></p>
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<td width="955" bgcolor="#f7f7ff" style="width:955px; background-color:#f7f7ff;"><p class="p_TiporNoteText"><span class="f_TiporNoteText">If Parts disappear when dragged onto the Class, adjust the Z-order of the Class (right-click on it and select the</span><span class="f_MenuKeyField"> Z-Order</span><span class="f_TiporNoteText"> menu option).</span></p>
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<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">The relationship between the two Parts is indicated by the connector, reflecting that communication between the Parts is via the </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">barcode</span><span class="f_BodyText">. This contained structure and its Parts are properties owned by the Library Class. To indicate a property that is not owned by composition to the containing classifier, use a box symbol with a dashed outline, indicating </span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-style: italic;">association</span><span class="f_BodyText">. To do this, right-click on the Part and select the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">Advanced | Custom Properties</span><span class="f_BodyText"> menu option. Set the </span><span class="f_MenuKeyField">IsReference</span><span class="f_BodyText"> option to</span><span class="f_BodyText" style="font-weight: bold;"> true</span><span class="f_BodyText">.</span></p>
<p class="p_BodyText"><span class="f_BodyText">Properties can also be reflected using a normal composite structure (without containing it in a Class), with the appropriate connectors, parts and relationships indicated through connections to the Class. This alternative representation is shown in the following diagram. However, this depiction fails to express the ownership immediately reflected by containing properties within a classifier.</span></p>
<p class="p_TextIndentedL2"><img src="composite%20diagram%20-%20structural%20properties2.png" width="464" height="289" border="0" alt="Composite Diagram - Structural Properties2"></p>




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